This invention relates to an artificial ornamental flower and a method of making an artificial ornamental flower and, more particularly, relates to an artificial flower of the type formed by folding a ribbon to simulate flower petals.
It is possible to form artificial flowers simulating a wide variety of flower types, usually by wrapping colored ribbons around simulated stems in substantially the shape of the actual flower. Artificial flowers make attractive gifts and can be provided with scents to even more closely simulate the actual flower. Artificial flowers are also useful in situations where real flowers are, for whatever reason, unavailable, or for persons with allergies to real flowers.
It is popular to decorate artificial flowers with a variety of ornaments. During holiday seasons, artificial flowers are often decorated with miniature symbols of the holiday, such as Leprechauns during St. Patrick's Day, Santa Clauses during Christmas, and so on. Further, because the flowers are constructed from colored ribbon, the flowers can be constructed with ribbon colored in colors that bring to mind the particular holiday.
When it is desired to decorate certain artificial flower types, however, the flexibility of the flower makes it difficult to position ornaments on the flower without causing the flower to sag. Further, most methods for constructing artificial flowers simply involve twisting a piece of ribbon around a wire. Such methods do not generally securely engage the ribbon and the wire and do not create a sufficiently realistic effect. Further, it is not generally possible to alter an assembly process to create artificial flowers that simulate flowers in different stages of bloom, or is it generally possible to manipulate an already assembled flower such that is is able to simulate flowers in different stages of bloom.